Hey Tweeters,

Ryan Shaw, Tracey Norris, Sheridan Coffey (from Texas), and I camped in the
Nile burn area last night. We had a couple of territorial Northern Saw-whet
Owls along the road. Then in the burn, there were two Great Horned Owls
calling at sunrise. Woodpeckers are still numerous and included:

5-6 White-headed Woodpeckers
several Hairy Woodpeckers
1 male Black-backed Woodpecker
2 male Williamson's Sapsuckers
1 Pileated Woodpecker

Other birds were Cassin's Finch, three species of chickadee, a Western
Tanager, and lots of Yellow-rumps.

In the Oak Creek wildlife area along the highway we observed several Lewis's
Woodpeckers. Then at the White Pass Campground we found a Williamson's
Sapsucker and a Nashville Warbler.

Finally we arrived at Paradise and walked up to the Panorama Point vicinity
via Golden Gate Trail. During our 6 hour hike here we did not find any
ptarmigans, but did have a few Gray-crowned Rosy-Finches, an arrival
Golden-crowned Sparrow, and various butterflies. Two (probably three)
Prairie Falcons hunted the slopes around here. One interesting thing was a
pair of American Dippers in a creek to the east of the Skyline Trail down in
the valley. Ryan initially heard one of them and we then watched them in
the alpine setting, though they were more than a half mile distant.

Cheers and good birding,
--
Charlie Wright
Sumner, WA
charlie at birdwright.com